Moving to
Waianae.

All Waianae data Compare Waianae

12,918people live here $81,733median household incomeNear US average $1,277median rent per monthNear US average $518,300median home value▲ 56% above US

Waianae is an unincorporated community in Honolulu County, HI. It has no city government: the county runs it, and the Census counts it as its own place.

What it's like to live in Waianae

Waianae is an unincorporated community in Hawaii with rent below the national average, county unemployment below the national average, air quality that stays clean most of the year, and schools with smaller class sizes than the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.

The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Waianae deals with home prices well above the national average, long average commutes, college degree attainment below the national average, and a population that has been shrinking.

The good

Rent below the national average
Low unemployment in the county
Clean air
Low student-teacher ratio
Public transit that many commuters use

The not so good

High home prices
Long commutes
Low college degree attainment
Shrinking population
High rent burden for renters

How Waianae compares

Median household income

Waianae$81,733

Hawaii avg$100,389

US$80,734

Median rent (per month)

Waianae$1,277

Hawaii avg$1,971

US$1,413

Median home value

Waianae$518,300

Hawaii avg$839,100

US$332,700

What it takes to move to Waianae

Based on Waianae's median rent, home value and household income

To rent

$2,554

up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit

Income to keep rent under 30%: $51,080 a year
62% of Waianae renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent

To buy

$103,660

a 20% down payment on the median home

With 10% down: $51,830
Homes cost 6.3× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)

Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.

The details

Cost of livingNear US average

$1,277/mo median rent

Cost of living works in this city's favor. Median rent sits around $1,277 a month, nothing that raises eyebrows. Solid value overall. Home prices are steep, with a median around $518,300. Renting first to get a feel for the city before buying is often the more practical route.

Median home value $518,300 · 62% of renters cost-burdened

Job market

2.3% county unemployment

Unemployment in Honolulu County is 2.3%, well below the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.

Honolulu County (county-wide)

Safety

181 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction

Waianae doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the Honolulu Police Department jurisdiction as a whole, which runs below the national average for violent crime and covers many communities. Individual neighborhoods can differ a lot from that overall rate.

Property crime 1459/100k · Policed by Honolulu Police Department (county-wide rate) · 2025 data

Getting around▲ 62% above US

42 min average commute

Commutes run long, averaging 42.2 minutes, and that's just the average, meaning a lot of people are doing significantly more. This isn't a city where living far from the office is a comfortable bet. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 11% take public transit.

How workers get to work

Drive alone

64%

Carpool

16%

Public transit

11%

Work from home

4.2%

Walk

2.9%

Other

1.6%

Climate

Summers are warm, with highs around 85°F, and winters are mild, with lows rarely dropping below 65°F.

Average month

High °FLow °FPrecip (in)

30-year averages, 1991–2020

Education & workforce▼ 63% below US

13% bachelor's degree or higher

This is a working-class city, and college degree rates reflect that. Trades, manufacturing, and service industries tend to dominate the local economy, which is a strength for some fields and a real constraint for others.

Schools

4 public schools inside the boundary

There are 4 public schools inside the boundary and 2 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 12:1, well below the national average of 16:1. Smaller class sizes are generally a positive sign for a district.

Parks & recreation

The nearest national park or historic site is Honouliuli National Historic Site (9 miles away). There are 3 national parks and sites within a day's drive.

Bottom line

Waianae's strongest points are rent below the national average and county unemployment below the national average; the main tradeoffs are home prices well above the national average and long average commutes. A year of median rent ($1,277/mo) equals 19% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit job seekers (county-wide unemployment is low) and people who would rather not drive. It may be a harder fit for people who dread long commutes.

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